According to a new report in the New York Times, Trump has been using tens of millions of dollars donated to him by supporters to fund his many legal battles.
Tallying totals
Reporters at the New York Times added the money spent on legal fees from two Trump political action committees, Save America and Make America Great Again PAC. In total, Trump has used about $50 million that was donated to him by his supporters in order to pay his legal bills.
Large amounts
$50 million is about as much as Nikki Haley has raised in total in 2023. Haley is currently Trump’s only remaining challenger in the Republican presidential primary.
Not enough
However, Trump will likely have to pay tens of millions more. On Friday, a jury ordered the former president to pay writer E. Jean Carroll $83.3 million. This week, a verdict is expected in New York Attorney General Letitia James’s civil suit against Trump, in which she is seeking damages of $370 million.
Moving money around
The Save America PAC is what Trump uses to pay his legal bills. In June 2023, it ran out of money, prompting Trump to request a $60 million refund from money he had transferred to MAGA Inc., a super PAC created to support his 2024 campaign.
Potential illegality
Unlike super PACs, regular PACs have a donation limit of $5,000. By transferring money from a super PAC to a regular PAC, some finance experts wondered if Trump was attempting to circumvent such regulations illegally, the New York Times reported.
Experts weigh in
“For the super PAC and the Trump PAC to be sending tens of millions of dollars back and forth depending upon who needs the money more strongly suggests unlawful financial coordination,” former FEC lawyer Adav Noti told the New York Times. “I don’t know that calling it a refund changes the fundamental illegality,” he noted.
Big spender
In 2021 and 2022, Save America spent roughly $16 million on Trump’s legal fees. In the first half of 2023, it spent a further $21 million.
Stingy
Trump “has long been loath to pay lawyers himself and has a history of stiffing those who represent him,” according to the New York Times report. Former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen accused the Trump Organization of not paying him $1.7 million in a lawsuit that was settled in July 2023.
Keeping track
In recent years, Trump has also faced a $5 million sexual assault verdict, a $25 million fraud judgment, and a $1.6 million tax fraud conviction. He faces 91 felony charges across multiple cases and jurisdictions.
High fees
Between Feb 2022 and June 2023, FEC filings show that Save America and Make America Great Again PAC paid more than $3.5 million to the legal firm of Alina Habba. Habba represented Trump in his second case against Carroll, in which she clashed with the judge over a dozen times.
Diverting funds
According to the New York Times, Trump “has been directing 10 percent of donations raised online to Save America, meaning 10 cents of every dollar he has received from supporters is going to a PAC that chiefly funds his lawyers.”
Original windfall
The bulk of Save America’s initial funds came from small-dollar donations by MAGA supporters. Trump urged them to donate to help him in his attempts to overturn the 2020 election, according to the New York Times.
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